Scanning documents and photos is an essential feature for many printer owners. HP’s Envy Inspire 7955e is an all-in-one printer aimed at home and small office users looking for a versatile machine that can print, copy, scan and fax. But does the 7955e live up to expectations when it comes to scanning?
Scanning Capabilities of the HP Envy Inspire 7955e
The 7955e offers decent scanning capabilities for its class. It can scan documents and photos to your computer, email, cloud services or media cards. Here are some key scanning specs and features of this printer:
- Up to 1200 dpi optical scan resolution
- Scan documents up to legal size
- Single-pass two-sided scanning
- Scan to PDF, JPG, PNG, BMP and more
- HP Scan software for Windows and Mac
- Scan to email, network folders, cloud services and USB
The optical scan resolution of 1200 dpi is good for an inkjet all-in-one printer. This should provide sharp and detailed scans of text documents and photos. The single-pass duplex scanning allows you to scan both sides of pages in one pass, saving time.
The file format support covers the major formats you’ll need for documents and photos. And the connectivity options give you flexibility in where you can send your scans.
Scanning from the HP Smart App
In addition to scanning from your computer, you can also scan using your mobile device with the HP Smart app. This provides an easy way to scan on the go and works with both iOS and Android devices.
To use it, make sure your printer is connected to your local WiFi network. Open the app, select your printer and tap the scan icon. You can then preview your scan, crop it if needed, and adjust settings like resolution, color mode and file type. When ready, save the scanned file to your device or cloud services.
The HP Smart app provides a simple mobile scanning solution. However, for more advanced controls like adjusting brightness, contrast and removing background, scanning from a computer is recommended.
Scan Quality
How good are the scans from the 7955e? Scan quality is generally very good for everyday documents and photos.
Text documents look sharp and legible in black and white mode. Color scans of documents also look accurate and professional. Photos scan well too, with good detail and accurate colors.
That said, scan quality is not on the level of more advanced scanners or all-in-ones. You may notice some subtle graininess or compression artifacts when scanning high resolution images or graphics. But for general home and office use, most users will be satisfied with the scan quality.
Speed
The 7955e has decent scan speeds, though not blazing fast.
HP claims scan speeds of up to 19 pages per minute (ppm) in black and white mode, and up to 14 ppm for color. Real-world speeds end up a little slower, around 15 ppm black and white and 10 ppm color.
Scan speeds will vary based on factors like resolution, file type and connection method. Scanning over WiFi is slower than USB. High resolution scans will take longer as well. But in general the 7955e scans at an adequate speed for home use.
Ease of Use
Setting up scanning is straightforward on the 7955e. HP provides setup instructions in the printer software to walk you through connecting to your computer, configuring scan settings and creating scan shortcuts.
Once set up, basic scanning is simple. On Windows, you can access the scanning interface through the HP printer software. On Mac, scanning is done through the Image Capture app. Simply select your scan settings, choose a file destination, and click scan.
The HP software also makes it easy to create one-touch scan shortcuts. These let you quickly scan to email, PDF, your desktop and more at the touch of a button.
Adjusting advanced settings like resolution, contrast, cropping and more is also easy in the scanning interface. The learning curve is minimal for basic scanning.
Scan File Management
Managing your scanned documents and photos is easy with the 7955e.
By default, scans are saved based on the scan destination you choose – for example, your Documents folder, Pictures folder, email app, etc. You can create folders on your computer to directly save scans to for easy organization.
Scanning to cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud provides additional online storage and retrieval options.
The 7955e doesn’t have its own internal storage for scans. But with a good file management system on your computer or in the cloud, keeping your scans organized is straightforward.
Special Scanning Functions
The 7955e includes a few handy special scanning functions:
- OCR – Optical character recognition converts scanned documents into searchable and editable text.
- ID Scan – Scans both sides of an ID card and merges into one page.
- Document Removal – Removes blank pages automatically in multi-page scans.
These tools can help streamline certain workflows and save time. OCR makes your scanned documents more usable. ID Scan simplifies digitizing identification cards. Document removal reduces unnecessary blank pages in book or magazine scans.
The 7955e lacks more advanced features like zonal OCR or autocrop. But the included tools cover the basics for most users.
Scanner Bed and Capacity
The 7955e has a medium-size flatbed scanner built into the printer. It measures 8.5 inches by 11.7 inches, which can handle up to letter or A4 sized originals.
There is no auto document feeder for scanning multi-page documents. The scanner lid can accommodate thicker books, magazines and photo albums for scanning pages. But you are limited to scanning one page at a time.
The scanner bed is made of glass and has a reflective surface. Make sure to wipe it down to avoid streaks on your scans.
Overall the scanner bed capacity is typical for consumer models in this price range. Bulk scanning and large documents may require an upgrade to a model with an ADF.
Summary of Key Specs
Here is a quick summary of the key scanning specs for the HP Envy Inspire 7955e:
| Scan Resolution | Up to 1200 dpi (optical) |
| Scanner Bed Size | 8.5 x 11.7 inches |
| ADF Capacity | None |
| File Formats | JPEG, PNG, BMP, PDF, TIFF, TXT |
| Connectivity | USB, WiFi |
| Scan Speed | Up to 19ppm (b&w), up to 14ppm (color) |
Conclusion
The bottom line – the HP Envy Inspire 7955e performs well for scanning occasional documents, photos and other media in a home or small office context. It covers the basics with decent scan quality, file support and connectivity.
Scan speeds are average and there is no ADF for bulk scanning. Image quality falls short of more premium scanners. But for the price, most users will be satisfied with the day-to-day scanning performance.
For managing the family photos or archiving old papers, the 7955e gets the job done. Just don’t expect robust scanning capabilities beyond consumer needs. But if you need an affordable printer with solid scanning to complement the other functions, the HP Envy Inspire 7955e is a well-rounded choice.
